“Raphael to Renoir: Drawings from the Collection of Jean Bonna”

By: Sarah Brooke Saraga

 

Even though the Metropolitan Museum of Art advertises this exhibit with big names (i.e. Raphael and Renoir), please note you will also experience a variety of lesser-known artists throughout the 120 pieces in this collection. I use the word “experience” because the exhibition stretches across 400 years, from 1500 to 1907 and covers Italy, Northern Europe, France and Great Britain.

I found this exhibit to be especially intriguing because every artist sketches, whether it is a visual exploration or a conceptual endeavor. Mr. Jean Bonna, a collector of drawings, is described as having a “preoccupation with artists’ initial ideas”.  This compilation of preoccupation lives in three large rooms—many pieces are studies for paintings. Two by Jean-Siméon Chardin, Portrait of Young Girl and Portrait of Young Boy (1777), seem to use vibrant pastel colors to create an air of cheerfulness. Personally, I love charcoal drawing and was delighted to view Spring (1883) by Odilon Redon. Here, even in the shadowy darkness of the charcoal, lively leaves and blossoming trees dance around a divine young woman.

There is a fair balance between the quick sketches and the detailed drawings. The rough studies of facial expressions and collages of body parts are like flipping through an art student’s sketchbook. Antoine Coypel’s Orpheus Holding His Lyre (1661-1722) is mathematically contained within a grid. Many of the descriptions mention “sketching expeditions” to cities where artists would create architectural drawings. Architectural Capriccio with the Port of Ripetta and the Pantheon (1760) by Hubert Robert is a pen and ink study completed in refined detail. In the 17^th century Gillis Neyts pushed the envelope with his Study of an Old Tree (1663-1670)—which was so mechanical looking, he was considered a graphic artist.

Towards the end of my visit—on my fourth lap around—I stumbled on a piece by Francisco Goya, Double-Sided Sheet of Drawings from Album B (1796-97), that could definitely be considered a caricature. As an artist most notably known for his royal portraits and war scenes, this drawing exposes Goya’s witty side. Surprising, considering this was shortly after he was pronounced deaf—was this a bitter humor? At a time in Goya’s career when he was hidden and frustrated, I wonder where the comical inspiration came from.   

Overall, the works in “Raphael to Renoir: Drawings from the Collection of Jean Bonna” are fantastically intimate. They invite you in to observe all stages of an art career, starting from a pencil doodle to a polished painting. The unfinished quality of the drawings and sketches allows us to complete the artist’s thoughts. Looking at these works reminded me of my challenging college drawing class and the angst of critiques. Each openly displayed imperfection within this exhibit makes even the most famous artist seem mortal.

 

"Raphael to Renoir" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art runs through April 26

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

1000 Fifth Ave at 82nd Street

Take the 4, 5, or 6 train to 86th Street

Museum Hours: Sun, Tues-Thurs 9:30 to 5:30, F & Sat 9:30 to 9

Museum website: http://www.metmuseum.org/